On September 11th, 2007, while most of us were remembering what we’d lost and feeling grateful for what we had, Ben (blogging as Not Larry Sabato) was thinking (as usual) “What can I do to stir the pot?”

What can I do to pay back those mean ODBA members for their baseless attacks on my best pal, Joey? All he did was link them to a group of pedophiles for crying out loud. Those big bullies. Where’s their sense of humor? I know! Racism! That always works! I’ll show them! And everyone will believe me because I’m a Democrat, I mean Democratic (almost forgot) and they’re just a bunch of conservatives! I’ll attack Jeff Evans, the bad man trying to unseat Joey’s pal, Roscoe! Once I declare Jeff a racist, issues and Roscoe’s abysmal voting record will be overlooked and I’ll be the hero! Clients will flock to Joey! We’ll be rolling in the dough and go to Red Lobster to celebrate! I’ll order calamari… no, make that two orders of calamari……

Since Ben couldn’t link Jeff Evans directly to being a racist, I’m sure he was delighted when he discovered Chip Hairston’s facebook page listing Chip as a member of a George Wallace Appreciation Society. I’ll bet that Ben thought he’d struck gold. After all, in BenWorld, a Republican candidate must certainly be held accountable for what one of their unpaid volunteers posts on their social networking page. It would also send a message to Chip and others like him that while we want his generation involved in the political process, they will only be recognized and respected if they are Democrats. Remember, this isn’t the first (and I doubt it will be the last) time Ben and his cronies attacked a Republican college student for what they posted on their facebook or myspace page. Goddess forbid a woman and/or person of color be conservative.

Chip took the high road and the time to respond to Ben’s attack post as well as some of the heartless comments left by those bold and courageous anonymous commenters. He explained that the group was formed to celebrate Wallace’s beliefs in states’ rights, an issue which should unite rather than divide us. Speaking of the comments section, this is where Ben states that he was aware that Chip was African-American when he made the accusation. I find myself questioning Ben’s mental health a little more than usual on this one:

So Ben, the point of all this is, the courtesy of a reply is requested. What were you trying to accomplish if not to smear Jeff and embarrass Chip?

If you choose to remain silent regarding this latest stunt of yours, I’ll accept that, Ben. But going forward, you must remember: No campaign is so important that any of us have license to recklessly play the racism card as you have. While you apparently can’t see past the tip of your own nose, ego or the next election, creating division between races can have dangerous consequences. If you don’t believe me, then ask the estimated twenty thousand people who gathered in Jena, Louisiana….

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, racism is a belief or ideology that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially to distinguish it as being either superior or inferior to another race or races. I do not feel that my race is superior to another nor do I feel that my race is inferior to another.

A group on facebook, a social tool for college students, named George Wallace Appreciation Society is not a racist group. Furthermore, this group is not really a group. For example, there are no meetings, nor are dues collected; there are no lectures and no discussion among members. This ‘group’ functions as a way for people to express their favor for states’ rights in a lighthearted manner.

Using “BenLogic”, if Ben made a group on Facebook called “I am the world’s biggest loser” and many of his friends became members, others may view those members as insensitive people who attack someone that they know. There are so many ways to blow the George Wallace Appreciation group out of proportion, if you’re uneducated or unethical.

The ideology of George Wallace does not dominate my life, much like Pepsi does not dominate my life despite the fact that I would willingly join a group devoted to the appreciation of Pepsi-Cola. If I were truly in favor of George Wallace’s one-time belief in segregation then I would be more apt to join a group called ‘Overturn Brown v Topeka Board of Education’ or somesuch like that. But we are getting beyond ourselves. These analogies only serve for the sake of example.

To be quite honest, Ben’s great zeal for the research of my facebook groups may show a tendency on his part for devoting time that could certainly be put towards more fruitful activities. This brings up the issue of what, in our society, can be inherently understood as a joke and what, under all circumstances, can be understood as a serious action.

Chip Hairston

Vote Jeff Evans

My first guest blogger!

In response to a rather bizarre post over at Ben’s blog, Chip Hairston has agreed to post his thoughts on racism, George Wallace, why dogs are better than cats….. I truly don’t know what he’s going to say.  I sent him the password to this Site and we can all read it for the first time together…..  Stay tuned!